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Community development is just one area where Purdue Extension provides research-based education in all 92 Indiana counties. As a signature program for Community Development, the Community Leadership Program strengthens individuals’ skills and confidence to assume leadership roles in their communities. Program graduates are serving on local boards, in local government positions and leading in a variety of volunteer efforts.
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Print, color and share Valentine’s Day Cards from the Purdue University College of Agriculture!
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“Plant nitrogen is important in determining the growth and quality of ornamental plants,” explained Ranjeeta Adhikari, a Ph.D. student in horticulture and landscape architecture. “But indoor growers have limited options for simple, reliable and affordable technology to measure it.” Through her research at Purdue University, Adhikari has taken steps toward removing the limitations.
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Technology has long fascinated Kirby Kalbaugh, but early in his career, his goal was to manage a hotel or an amusement park. The Cincinnati native worked full time while studying hospitality management at Purdue. After earning his degree in 1998, he held various hotel management positions in Lafayette — a town he had grown to love.
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By Brian Wallheimer Any trip to Mars, likely to take a year or longer, will require astronauts to grow at least some of their own…
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Farming is a stressful occupation. Farmers own and operate private small businesses that rely on unpredictable markets influenced by government trade policies, unreliable and extreme weather conditions and ever-changing input costs. Since 2013, net farm income has declined by 50% nationally and, like other industries, the farmers have been burdened by the stress of the past year. Add in traditional negative stigmas associated with seeking help and lack of health insurance or mental health resources, farmers and other agriculture workers need more support and education than ever before.
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“As the environment is changing, people are encountering many stressors that are driving them to adapt,” explained Becca Nixon. “I want to help support strategies that align with their values and improve their well-being.”
To achieve her goal, Nixon’s social science research focuses on people whose livelihoods are tied to the Swat and Kabul Rivers in northern Pakistan.
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Michelle Egger, co-founder and CEO of BIOMILQ, woke up on Dec. 1 to an inbox full of congratulatory emails that left her completely confused.
“I’d been so focused on the scientific milestones we were working toward that it took me a couple of hours to figure out what in the world the emails were referring to,” Egger recalled. “It was like the rest of 2020. Low lows and high highs, both coming out of nowhere.”
Forbes selected Egger for its 30 Under 30 list for 2021, an annual compilation of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs.
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By Brian Wallheimer Any trip to Mars, likely to take a year or longer, will require astronauts to grow at least some of their own…
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Five student-athletes from Purdue University’s College of Agriculture earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition during the fall 2020 sports season. They were among 96 Purdue student-athletes to earn the title across the university.
To qualify for Academic All-Big Ten honors, student-athletes must carry a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher while enrolled full-time. Though cross country, soccer and volleyball were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Big Ten chose to recognize eligible players.
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Sorghum is a great crop for grazing, but certain conditions can cause the plants to become deadly for animals. Purdue University’s Mitch Tuinstra has developed a sorghum that contains no dhurrin, reducing the risk of poisoning in the animals.
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“2020 was a year unlike any other, with numerous challenges, opportunities and accomplishments across our college,” said Karen Plaut, the Glenn W. Sample Dean of the College of Agriculture. “Through it all we were proud to share Purdue Agriculture’s stories with the incredible community of faculty, staff, students, alumni, donors and so many other supporters.”
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Adebukola Dada grew up on a Nigerian farm where her father raised various plants and animals. “If our crops did not do well, I asked my dad to tell me why,” Dada recalled. “That’s up to you to figure out,” her father replied. Now a Ph.D. student in agronomy, Dada is on her way to finding the answers.
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Graduate students and researchers come and go from Purdue, but their computer applications stay behind. Programmer Ben Hancock maintains these legacy applications — greater in number than you might think — by managing servers, responding to users who need help and implementing fixes as needed.
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The hemp plant often thought to be native to North America, originated in the Tibetan Plateau, the world’s largest and highest plateau located in southwestern China. The multi-use plant predominantly harvested for its oil and fiber is gaining popularity with Hoosier growers as regulations change and the hemp byproduct industry grows.
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As retiring professor of agricultural economics Chris Hurt reflects on his 40-year career at Purdue, he talked about the people for whom he has worked through Extension and as a professor.
“Growing up on the farm, my neighbors and our community, they were wonderful people. I think of the people I have worked for in my job to be just like those neighbors—strong family people, hardworking and appreciative people. To think that I could bring the information to them to make better decisions, that’s been my contribution to society.”
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John Whittington, BS ’96, is always looking for the next big thing. An entrepreneur at heart, Whittington operated a large trucking company with his father, owned and operated an RV park in Florida, managed a fleet of hazardous waste trucks in Ohio and been a part of a successful NASCAR team.
In 2004, he bought an abandoned lumberyard in Morristown, Ind, and turned it into a successful biodiesel fuel-manufacturing site.
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Each school day afternoon, the busses line up outside Woodbrook Elementary in Carmel, Ind. In bus #168, driver Van Betulius, BS’76, and passenger Brayden Krueger patiently wait to get to the front of the line by playing math games.
“There must be seven buses in front of us,” says Betulius, intentionally miscounting the number to challenge Krueger’s math skills.
The two became bus buddies earlier in the school year when Betulius told Krueger he had once been Purdue Pete.
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Crises often leave families feeling helpless and out of control. The COVID-19 pandemic is no exception as Hoosiers face the loss of jobs, resources, life experiences and social contacts. With the help of Purdue Extension, Purdue’s College of Health and Human Sciences is helping families cope with change and even find positivity during the pandemic.
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